S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  4781

                       2011-2012 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                             April 25, 2011
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sen.  ROBACH -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Govern-
  ment Operations

AN ACT to amend the state law, in relation to designating rescue dogs as
  the official state dog

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1.  Legislative intent. Throughout history, art and literature
have  depicted  humans in all walks of life and social strata with dogs,
illustrating their widespread acceptance in everyday  life.  Some  reli-
gions  even incorporated them into their worship. Indeed, dogs have long
been admired for the purity of their  character  traits,  with  military
annals  documenting  the  wartime bravery and courage of dogs in the K-9
Corps.
  Closer to home, our own culture is  populated  with  examples  of  the
well-established  place  dogs have found in our hearts and homes. People
of all ages, but particularly the elderly and  the  young,  enjoy  their
companionship. For single people, dogs offer a welcome relief from lone-
liness.  For  children,  an  animal  in  the home contributes warmth and
unconditional love, and teaches responsibility and consideration for the
needs of another creature. Those who suffer from disease or injury expe-
rience a therapeutic, even spiritual, benefit from their presence.
  Dogs do so much good for the community: they give us a sense of  opti-
mism,  safeguard  us  from depression and loneliness, and break down the
barriers that isolate us from one another. Their presence  improves  our
health, protects us from danger, and teaches us about caring and respon-
sibility. And they ask for so little in return.
  Sadly,  as  many as 4 million dogs enter animal shelters in the United
States each year.  Over 90 percent of these dogs are savable.   Most  of
them  are simply victims of circumstance, ending up in a shelter through
no fault of their own: a person moves, a couple divorces, a job is lost,

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD09997-02-1
              

S. 4781                             2

someone gets ill or dies. Most of the dogs  are  healthy,  well-behaved,
and even housetrained.
  Unfortunately,  some  people  perceive  rescue  animals  as "damaged,"
concerned that the reason they are in the shelter is  because  something
is wrong with them. Nothing could be further from the truth. But because
of that perception, some people choose not to adopt. Tragically, roughly
half of all dogs in shelters are killed.
  The  deaths  of  these  innocent  animals  can  be  prevented  through
adoption. Shelter and rescue animals are eager to become beloved members
of a family, unconditionally loving  and  loyal  pets,  grateful  for  a
second chance.
  While  some with special needs might need a little extra TLC, they can
become members of loving homes, as many  of  the  dogs  saved  from  the
horrific dog fighting operation in the Michael Vick case have proven.
  Adopting  an animal from a shelter or rescue group eases the burden on
the shelter or rescue group, enabling it to continue to serve the commu-
nity by taking in other  unwanted  or  needy  animals.  Generally,  dogs
adopted  from  shelters  or  rescue  groups are neutered or spayed, thus
reducing the number of homeless dogs in the state.
  There are many benefits to adopting an animal from a shelter,  ranging
from the ownership support services that most shelters and rescues offer
to  the ability to adopt a dog that is already trained and housetrained.
Many animal shelters and rescue organizations provide new owners with an
array of material concerning their new pet's  personality,  temperament,
habits  and  other  general  qualities, and relating to training, common
behavior problems, feeding, general care and more. In addition, there is
the satisfaction of knowing that  through  adoption,  a  life  has  been
saved.
  As  with  the  designation  of  other state symbols, such as the state
flower or state tree, designating the rescue dog as official  state  dog
will  serve  an  important  educational function. The state will promote
humane education, providing opportunities for children in particular  to
learn about adopting rescued animals, as well as about the importance of
measures  such as spaying and neutering pets, providing them with micro-
chip identification implants, and providing responsive pet  care-all  of
which have been proven to reduce the number of animals arriving in shel-
ters.
  The  legislature  hereby  finds  and declares it necessary and in good
policy of the state to promote and encourage  the  adoption  of  animals
from  animal  shelters  and animal rescue organizations and to recognize
the services these entities provide.
  S 2. The state law is amended by adding a new section 84-a to read  as
follows:
  S  84-A.  STATE DOG.   THE RESCUE DOG SHALL BE THE OFFICIAL DOG OF THE
STATE OF NEW YORK. AS USED IN THIS SECTION "RESCUE DOG" MEANS A  DOG  OF
ANY  BREED OR MIXTURE OF BREEDS RESCUED AND ADOPTED FROM AN ANIMAL SHEL-
TER OR RESCUE GROUP LOCATED IN THE STATE.
  S 3. This act shall take effect immediately.